Kataang Week 2014
by ChelberNo.1
Summary: As the title suggests: the 2014 Kataang Week! 7 days, 7 prompts, 7 drabbles. All Kataangy fluffy, angst, hurt, comfort, goodness! Lots of love all around! Cover Image by aogs47777 on deviantart. Chapter 3: Rainy Days
1. Day 1: Secrets

**A/N: ARGHH! MY FIRST KATAANG WEEK!**

**So, I'm a day behind. As I'm writing this, it's Tuesday. So I'll probably be a day or two behind but I SWEAR TO THE SPIRITS I'M GETTING ALL THESE PROMPTS DONE!**

**(And, of course, as soon as I'll sit down to write this, my brain'll be all '**_**What? You want me to **_**think **_**now? Just because it's Kataang Week? Nup, sister, you're on your own!'**_

**So, uh, enjoy?**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender**

* * *

**Day 1: Secrets**

Katara watched as Aang struggled with the forms he was supposed to completing.

They had made camp in the forest clearing a few hundred metres away, and while they had been exploring, Katara had stumbled upon this lake. It was quite hard to believe; the lake was massive, very deep with high walls around three quarters of it. The other quarter had a sandy bank, facing the direction of their camp. It was quite a find, a lake like this in the middle of a forest.

So, since Toph had already knocked Aang around – she called it earthbending practise – that day, so she and Aang happily started to practise their waterbending.

It had gone smoothly for the first hour or so, but then Aang had started to struggle with this one particular move.

"No, Aang, like this," Katara took a few steps back, lengthening her stance, and lent forward slightly, spreading her arms in front of her. The she twisted, clenching her fists, spinning on the spot. Then, in a fluid motion, she kicked up her legs, so she was _standing _on the mini wave she had created, balanced with one hand on the surface of the water.

She over-balanced slightly as she landed, but corrected herself. Finishing with a bow and fancy wave of her hand – for her amusement as well as Aang's – she gave him an encouraging smile.

Aang frowned in response. He did it again, trying hard, but he just _couldn't _get it.

After he just managed to stop himself sprawling face-first into the water, after losing his balance, he glanced at her, apologetic. "I'm sorry, I just _can't _do it."

"There's no need to be sorry. It's not your fault." She gestured for him to do it again.

Looking annoyed at him-self and embarrassed at the same time, Aang tried again, but this time he couldn't stop himself from falling face-first into the water.

As he re-emerged, spluttering and coughing, Katara struggled to keep a straight face.

"_Not _funny, Katara."

"Well, yeah, it was kinda."

Aang tried for a frustrated sigh, but failed to keep the smile from his face. "Well, yeah, I'd imagine it was, but that doesn't give you the right to laugh."

Katara smirked at Aang, who raised an eyebrow. "So, we doing the next one yet?"

"Right. The next one…" She trailed off. "Wait, are you trying to skip that one?"

Aang's face turned hard. "Well, I can't get it anyway. What's the point?"

"Just… try again, okay?"

Aang scowled at the water. "I can't get it Katara. You just saw me fail at it ten times in a row. I just can't-" he hesitated, then looked back up at Katara, he grey eyes pleading with her. "Can we please try something else?"

"Aang…"

"I'll work on it later. I will. Can we just try something else?"

Katara gave him the sternest look she could muster. "But you'll still need to learn this, Aang. Okay?"

Aang held one of his hands out, palm out, and with his other he traced a cross on his chest. "Cross my heart and hope to die," He said playfully, then sobered. "I promise, Katara. I will."

Katara nodded, and they continued on with the lesson.

* * *

Katara was lying flat on her back, staring up at the moon. Just by looking at it, she could tell that it was almost midnight. She could see the dying fire out of the corner of her eye, the glowing embers casting a soft, warm light on the rocks surrounding it.

She was quite snug in her sleeping bag, where the cold night air couldn't quite get to her. Although the chilly wind nipped at her nose and ears, she was too comfortable to move, or do anything to stop that. She didn't mind, though. It was comforting, sort of. Reminded her of home.

She could see thousands of stars in the clear night sky, like twinkling dew drops, the ones that clung to grass early in the mornings. There were only a few clouds out, but they looked like great, silver mists in the moon's light. It was beautiful.

Suddenly, she heard a sort of scuffle, like someone desperately trying not to fall over after they tripped over something.

She froze, instantly on danger alert; in her mind's eye she could see some crazed Fire Nation soldiers launching themselves from tree-tops, screaming like the morons they were.

Silently, she reached for her water pouch, making no sudden movements.

Then she heard Aang.

"_Ouch. _Spirits, Momo! What were you doing lying there?" He spoke in a whisper, clearly trying to be sneaky. She heard Momo chattering back to Aang – he didn't sound happy – and Aang shushed him. "_Quiet, _Momo. Do you want to wake everyone up? No? I didn't think so."

Huh. Not Fire Nation soldiers, just a clumsy Avatar.

Not wanting Aang to know that she was awake, she slowly peeked over the top of her pillow. He was facing away from her, luckily. And, in the moonlight, she could see Momo sitting at his feet, blinking up at him. Aang sighed.

Telling Momo to stay quiet, he carefully stepped around him, and quietly walked out of camp, not noticing that Katara was awake. After a few moments, Momo started chattering again, and flew after him. Landing with a _thump, _he perched on Aang's shoulder, his tail curling around his head. Aang chuckled and scratched him on the head.

As they disappeared into the woods, Katara jumped up from her sleeping bag, her curiosity getting the better of her.

Silently pulling her parka over her head and looping her water pouch over her chest, she followed Aang, being careful not to wake Sokka or Toph. Or Appa (because, as they unfortunately found out early one morning, Appa could get _very _loud if he was woken suddenly). Luckily, they all slept like the dead, apart from all the snoring.

Aang wasn't that hard to follow. Maybe it was because he was clumsy, being half-asleep and all, or maybe he just wasn't being careful, but she could plainly see in the moonlight where he had trodden. By the looks of it, he had been kicking the fallen autumn leaves up, sending them flying and swirling, like the kid he was.

Smiling softly, Katara hurried on.

In the end, she found him by the lake that they had been earlier that day. _He's going for a midnight swim? _Curious and confused, she crept closer to the shore, hidden in the shadows, as Aang stripped off his shirt and shoes, and waded into the lake until, he was waist deep in water.

He stood there for a moment, shivering, looking up at the moon.

Momo, who was waiting at the end of the lake, started chattering again. Aang glanced over at him. Momo cocked his head to the side, like he had asked a question. Most likely the one Katara was mentally asking.

_Why are you in the lake in the middle of the night? _

Aang smiled at Momo. "Because I promised Katara," He said simply, then took a few steps back in the water.

_What did he promise me?_

Still shivering, Aang spread his arms out in front of him, leaning forward. He sucking in a deep breath, then clenched his fists, slowly revolving on the spot. The water responded eagerly, swirling up all around him. Katara recognised it immediately as the one they had been trying to do earlier, the one he couldn't get.

'_Because I promised Katara," _he had said.

_Katara gave him the sternest look she could muster. "But you'll still need to learn this, Aang. Okay?"_

_Aang held one of his hands out, palm out, and with his other he traced a cross on his chest. "Cross my heart and hope to die," He said playfully, then sobered. "I promise, Katara. I will."_

He was practising. For her. That one thing he couldn't get, he got up in the middle of the night, just so he could practise.

Humbled, Katara watched from the shadows as he went through the movements and forms, slowly, correcting him-self whenever he slipped up. Every so often, he would stop, mutter something under his breath, and start again, with Katara silently egging him on from the sidelines. Not that he knew it, but at least she was supporting him, she reckoned.

But no matter how hard he tried, he could not seem to get it right; could not make the water move like he wanted it to. Nothing he tried worked.

Finally, after a good hour, he growled in frustration, and dropped the water he was bending. He collapsed backwards into the water, seemingly defeated, then jumped back up again with a shocked yell; he had forgotten how cold the water was.

Katara watched sadly from where he couldn't see her.

She couldn't reveal herself, couldn't admit she had followed him – all that would do was embarrass and upset him. Then he'd probably never get the hang of the form.

But she couldn't sit here and do _nothing… _she _wouldn't. _Wouldn't just sit here and watch him struggle.

Silently pleading that he would try again, she stood quietly, moving closer to the lake, but keeping in the shadows. Aang stood still for a few moments, staring at the moon's reflection, rather than the moon itself.

Finally, he sighed. Straightening up, he muttered something that sounded like _last go, _took a few steps back, leaned forward, and spread his arms out in front of him.

From the shadows, Katara copied him.

As he went through the movements, Katara did the exact same, not bending the water _for _him, but… guiding him. Helping him, showing him how to do it without him knowing it.

Then, when the movement was completed, Aang let the water drain back into the lake. Then he stared at his reflection in disbelief.

"That was… _right." _He turned and stared at Momo, who was still sitting, looking unimpressed. "Momo, did you see that? That worked that time!"

Momo yawned.

"Whatever." Aang turned back, grinning from ear to ear. Then, steeling himself, he took a deep breath, sinking back into the stance. Katara smiled warmly at him, even though he couldn't see. _Once you get something, do it again and again, until you're sure it's in your brain to stay. _She taught him that.

The second time he did it, she guided him again, nudging him in the right direction.

The third and fourth time, though, she let him do it on his own.

And he was perfect at it.

She was like a… like a phantom teacher. Katara smiled at the thought.

As she watched him flow through the movement as if he had been doing it all his life, she fought the urge jump up in the air and shout out in victory, punching the air. Instead, she settled for a very, very smug grin.

Aang, however, didn't have any reason to hold back. Using the air and water to propel him into the air, he shot ten feet into the air, hollering sweet victory.

Katara giggled, sitting back down again. As soon as she sat, exhaustion swept over her, reminding her that she had a long day, and has now stayed up half the night.

It was totally worth it, though.

There was a loud splash, then silence. Katara snapped her head up just as Aang's head broke the water's surface. "Of, _Spirits-! _Cold! Aw, monkey feathers…!" Still cursing, he waded out of the water, shivering.

Airbending himself dry, he pulled on his shirt and shoes, still trembling.

"C-c'mon, Momo," he stuttered, still freezing cold, 'We g-gotta get back b-before the others notice w-we're gone,"

Momo jumped up onto Aang's shoulders, grabbing onto his ears, like Aang was giving him a piggy-back ride.

"Yeah, I know I have big ears," Aang mumbled, turning back towards camp and setting off.

_Aw, cripes! _Katara jumped up and pelted into the woods, so she was running parallel to them. _Gotta get back to the camp before them, otherwise he'll know that I followed him, then he'll be upset, and Sokka'll be mad at me for running off again-!_

Somehow, she made it back before Aang did. Sliding out of the forest (the ground was slippery), she barely avoided tripping over Sokka, just managing to side-step at the last moment. She crawled back into her sleeping bag, and had just enough time to pretend to be asleep when Aang emerged from the forest.

After a quick glance around, to make sure nobody had noticed his absence, he crawled up onto Appa's leg, burying himself in Appa's think, warm fur. Within minutes he was asleep.

Katara smiled to herself. She hadn't been found out. Her secret was safe. _Secret… _she hadn't thought about it like that before.

Nice secret, though. She liked it.

In a few hours, when the sun had risen, she'd be awakened by the energetic airbender, who would drag her to the lake. He'd go through the forms and movements, showing how he had mastered them. Then he'd turn back to her, eyes sparkling, and they'd both celebrate with a quick but fun water war.

And all the time Katara would be grinning smugly, quite proud of her little secret.

Hoping that maybe she'd be able to make another secret soon.

Because this feeling was wonderful, and she wouldn't trade the world for it.

* * *

**A/N: Sneaky Katara. Oh, the form Aang was trying to get, it was meant to be like surfing, sort of. That, or a combination of a scooter/skateboard… **

**Aang logic: Crossing your heart **_**and **_**seriously promising someone something just **_**has **_**to mean you have to get up in the middle of a freezing night. And go swimming in an icy lake. What else would it mean? **

**If I'm not mistaken, the next prompt is 'Comfort'. It may not be up tomorrow; we have a school awards ceremony thingy that we have to go to. *groan* I'm gonna be playing 'Hall of Fame' by The Script on the drums… my sister will be playing the guitar to it, my friend and class-mate will be singing. But I will get it up soon! I know I say that about everything else, but this time I will!**

**Reviews appreciated! :D **


	2. Day 2: Comfort

**A/N: Aaaand I'm back again. Shock! Only a day between updating! Big improvement to, what was it? Three months? **

**Yeah, I know this is late. Didn't get home until late after the school thingy. And got a heap of homework. School gets in the way of my fandoms…**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender **

* * *

**Day 2: Comfort  
**

_A lightening flash lit the entire sky, reflecting off the sea below them, half blinding him. The thunder that followed was truly frightening; he could feel its deep rumbling in his chest, making his ears throb. Still half-blind, and now deaf, he yelled out to Appa, desperately hoping he was okay, that he fine, hoping that they'd make it out of this storm alive… _

_Appa's reply was lost in the storm. _

_Aang barely saw the next bolt of lightning coming; suddenly, the entire world in front of him was painfully white-hot, burning his eyes, and he could _smell _it burning the air. Screaming in utter terror, he fumbled with Appa's reigns, trying to pull him out of the path of the lightning. _

_Appa swerved violently, roaring, almost tumbling out of the air. Clinging to the reigns like a vice, the rope burning his hands, Aang squeezed his eyes shut. His chest was too tight to breathe, his mouth too dry to swallow. _Please just let us get out of this, please just let me see Gyasto again, let Appa be okay… let this Avatar thing be wrong…

_There was a final flash, the loudest boom of thunder yet, and Appa was sent spiralling out of the air. The both screamed as they hit the water, it's cold, icy waves, embracing them, never letting back up._

_Aang could just see Appa, struggling in the water, but he was fading fast… _

_Then he was falling down, down in the inky blackness. _

* * *

_Aang was aware of someone one holding him. _

_And that he was freezing. _

_He groaned, struggling to open his eyes. He became more aware of things around him: He was lying on something hard and cold, like ice, or snow, but someone was holding his shoulders, propping him up. The hands were warm, warm and comforting, chasing away the ice in his bones. _

_He managed to open his eyes a crack, taking a deep breath in in the same time. And almost choked. Suddenly realizing his lungs were screaming at him, he tried to sit up, sucking in deep breaths, opening his eyes but seeing nothing. _

"_Hey, hey now. It's okay." A voice, warm and clear_

_Blinking rapidly, Aang's vision slowly cleared. He was right – he _was _surrounded by ice and snow. Shivering, disorientated, he looked around, utterly confused. _

"_Hey, it's okay, remember? You're safe now. It's okay." That voice again. _

_Aang whipped his head around, and found him-self staring into the deepest, beautiful eyes he had ever seen. _

_The eyes belonged to a girl, a bit older than him. She had a heart-shaped face, dark brown hair and skin. She was smiling softly, kindly. _

_Why was Aang having difficulty swallowing?_

"_Hi, uh, I'm Katara," The girl gave an encouraging smile. She turned slightly, gestured to a teenage boy behind her, that Aang hadn't even noticed. "That's Sokka." The boy half-raised a hand in greeting. Katara turned back to Aang. "What's your name?"_

_Aang, still a bit disorientated, took a moment to answer. "I-I'm Aang," _

"_Nice to meet you, Aang, no matter how unusual the circumstances are,"_

_Wait… what? Where was he again? Where was Appa? Why wasn't Gyasto here? _

_Before he could pull his thoughts together, Katara spoke again. "How did you get here? How did you get trapped in the ice?"_

_Trapped… trapped in ice… _

_Oh, no. _

_The storm. The lightning, Appa falling. Him running from the temple. The monks sending him away…_

Oh, no nonononono-

"_Hey, are you okay?"_

_Katara was looking down on him, concerned. He managed a shaking smile. "Yeah. Yeah, I'm fine."_

* * *

_Gyasto was dead. _

_The Fire Nation had killed him. Him and everyone else. _

_Aang was all alone. The last one. The Last Airbender. _

_If he was the Avatar, wasn't he supposed to prevent this? Wasn't he supposed to _defend _people, instead of letting them _burn?! _Instead of letting them all die?!_

_No. No, he couldn't be the last one. He just… _couldn't _be. Somehow, they would've gotten away, gotten away and hidden somewhere. _

_They were out there; he just had to find them. _

_Sokka suddenly shifted in his sleep, startling Aang. Sokka, who had apparently found a more comfortable position, was starting to snore softly again. Aang stared at him, wishing that he could do the same. _

_That he could just close his eyes, forget about _everything_, and let the darkness take him over. _

_But no. Of course not! Why would he be able to do that? Because things actually decided to go his way? Or at least work _with _him? Yeah, because that was going to happen. As soon as he started to sleep, as soon as he closed his eyes, all he could see was Gyasto's skeleton. _

_So he had been spending the past few nights staying awake, keeping warm by the fire. _

_Often staring at Katara. _

_Because she comforted him. Not because he, like, _liked _her or anything. Of course not. He was a monk. _

_Aang blushed and ducked his head, even though no-one could see him._

* * *

"_It has been years since I've seen you, but that's okay. You've come to me with a new face."_

_Aang suppressed a shudder, closing his eyes momentarily. He could feel Koh's legs and pinchers on the back of his neck, around his shoulders, prodding his back. Mapping him. Sizing him up. _

_Koh suddenly circled around Aang, coming in front of him, staring him down. Aang forced himself not to flinch. Not now. He couldn't afford that. Koh would attack him in an instant, and there'd be no way Aang could take him. Then he'd be trapped here forever, crippled. And he wouldn't be able to find the Moon and Ocean Spirits. _

_Then everyone, _everyone, _at the Northern Water Tribe would be slaughtered. The Fire Nation would kill them all in their attempts to capture the city. Aang couldn't let that happen again. He _wouldn't. _He had to help this time. He had to make a difference. _

_That was all that kept him turning and running from Koh. _

_The face Koh was using smirked. His pinchers came up again, ran over Aang's face, tracing his features. Aang took a step back, struggling to keep a straight face. Koh lurched forward, circling around Aang again, trapping him. _

"_You will _not _run from me, Avatar. Face me, and ask me what you want to know."_

"_I need to find the Moon and Ocean. I need their help."_

_Koh gave a light chuckle. He changed faces, and stared at Aang with now golden eyes, pale face, long, curly dark hair. "Oh, you've got that quite wrong, young Avatar. In fact, they need _your _help."_

"_What do you mean?" _

_Koh considered him for a second, then shrank back into the shadows. "Because," he called out in a sing-song, almost invisible to the now-weary Avatar, "someone is going to _slay _them!"_

_Aang shuddered in a breath. "Where can I find them to help them?" _

_He felt Koh move around behind him, and slowly turned. Koh stood, half-in, half-out of the shadows, now wearing a young girl's face. He_ _smiled coldly, creeping forward. He held up his front legs, waggling them. "May I?"_

_Aang nodded, and bowed his head. _

_He felt Koh's legs on his forehead, saw a flash of blue light, then he saw-_

_-Two Koi fish, circling each other. One of them, struggling in its captive's grip. Yue Falling, the moon fading. Waterbenders dying. Blast of fire. War, thousands and thousands of people, fighting and killing, all over the world- _

_Aang stepped back, shaking, as the images began to blur together. With the last of his strength, he looked Koh in the eye. "Thank you for warning me. I need to go."_

_He turned, and began to walk towards the opening of the cave. He could see the light from here, he was getting closer… feeling sweat running down his neck, he broke into a brisk walk… now he could see the trees outside…_

_Then Koh was in front of him, blocking him from the exit, only inches away. Aang jumped back in shock._

"_I'm sorry, Avatar. I cannot let you go. It has been ages since I have seen other life… and I am starving."_

_Aang couldn't help it; he scrambled back, horrified. Apparently his face showed it, because Koh was suddenly on top of him, pinning him down with his pinchers. Aang could feel his warm breath, hear his harsh breathing, and squeezed his eyes shut, raining his arms to protect his face. "No-! Don't-" Aang could barely hear himself shout over his own heartbeat, thundering in his ears._

_As Koh pried his arms apart, all Aang could think was _All for nothing. Everything will all have been nothing.

_Koh gave an evil laugh, and Aang screamed. _

* * *

Aang sat up with a jolt, stifling a scream.

He sat there, in the dark, no idea where he was, paralysed. He felt like someone had just thrown a bucket of ice-cold water over him – he was shivering violently, cold to his core.

Staggering to his feet, he stumbled a few steps, before tripping over something. He tumbled to the ground, and the something shrieked angrily and jumped up. Aang, sprawled on his stomach, stared at Momo, who was giving a dirty look.

"Sorry, Momo," Aang sat up, looking around, still trembling.

He was in a clearing in a forest, he realized, well, remembered. He, Sokka and Katara were camping, after they had refused an escort to Omashu. Like old times. Aang, paranoid, glanced up at the night sky. The full moon was high in the sky, seemingly sailing along the clouds.

The Northern Water Tribe hadn't fallen. They had saved the Moon Spirit. Koh hadn't… hadn't attack him.

Putting a hand to his forehead, trying to get his breathing under control, he quickly glanced around the campsite. Sokka was fast asleep in his sleeping bag, as usual. Appa was curled up, hugging his tail, at the edge of his clearing. Momo was still glaring at him.

Finally, he found the person he was looking for.

Katara was sleeping near Appa, the moonlight illuminating her hair.

Silently, more carefully, he made his way over to her. He lay down on the ground beside her, facing towards her. The nightmare still plaguing him, he reached up and brushed a stray hair from her forehead. She shifted slightly at his touch.

Drawing his hand back, Aang sighed. He could feel her body heat from here. Could hear her breathing. It was… comforting.

The nightmare all but forgotten, he snuggled closer to her, suddenly feeling exhausted.

Katara sighed, and lent into the airbender, wrapping an arm around him in her sleep.

Aang didn't feel so cold anymore.

* * *

**A/N: Koh is CREEPY *shudder***

**Was that confusing to anyone else? I was writing it, pretty sure I knew where I was going, but then… I think I lost the plot. I don't even know. Sorry!**

**Day Three: Rainy Days coming soon!**

**Don't forget to review! **


	3. Apology

**A/N: Guys, I'm so sorry about me not updating.**

**Mum had to take an ambulance to the hospital, which was ****_really_**** scary. We were thinking food poisoning (all I could think of at the time was ****_don't people die from food poisoning?)_****, but then the doctors said it was just a really bad migraine. I was really relived, along with the rest of my family. The next night, she had to be taken in again, then flown to St Vincent Hospital because she actually has minor bleeding in the brain. Dad's with mum, and us kids are at our surrogate's family house. **

**Mum will be in hospital for 10ish days. Good news: no need for brain surgery. She ate half a sandwich the other day, and some orange juice. Dad was thinking about coming down to be with us, but we said no, we were fine with our Other Family (as we have dubbed them) and that he needed to stay with mum. We may be able to visit them over the weekend, though. **

**My best friend moved away at the start of this year, and, since we go to a small school, I don't really have any good friends, I am not social at ****_all, _****so almost everybody annoys me or I annoy them, so I have no one to talk to. (Morllyber, don't get offended, you ****_know_**** you're my friend. I'm just in a bad mood at the moment. Anybody else in my class who's reading this – unlikely, I'm the only Avatard - deal with it. I's not like you really care about me, so why be offended? I am not in a good mood, I've been crying on and off all day – I bet you didn't even notice - and I have a massive headache. Deal. With. It.) So I have been exhausted and worried and not finding time or energy to write. **

**So, I have been working on the Kataang prompts, but, honestly, I can't seem to get anything right. I will complete this, but may take a while.**

**Sorry :( **


	4. Day 3: Rainy Days

**A/N: This sooooo late, sorry. Couldn't help it… **

**Thanks to all who reviewed! It all means a lot to me! (and I do mean that) *hugs everybody and offers cookies* **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender.**

* * *

**Day 3: Rainy Days**

Aang stared out of the window as it rained.

Temporarily forgetting about all the paper work he had to complete, he just lent his head in his hand, and continued to stare, memorized, at the falling water drops, dripping from the window sill, turning a light golden colour in the early morning sun.

They were, once again, living in Ba Sing Se, in the same house they had been living in when they first came, all those years ago. Every so often, Toph would drag him out of bed or away from all the paper work he had to do, and proudly show off all the cracks and dents in one corner of the house – the one she had smashed in – claiming that nothing would ever truly fix it. Aang had to agree.

A siege of meetings had been ordered, and, apparently, the Avatar's and the Fire Lord's attendance was compulsory, much to Aang's disgust. All the meetings were boring, about either politics or laws, and the worst part was that each meeting needed a train load of paper work.

An utter _train _load.

It was bad enough having the siege of meetings.

And a _siege_ of meetings it was.

Even now, staring out at the rain from his study, he could feel the pressure of the meetings-to-come weighing him down. Not in a _stressed-out-holy-cow-what-do-I-do _way, but in an _I-seriously-can-not-be-bothered-moving-from-this-spot-let-them-deal-with-it _kind of way.

Fortunately, all the Oh So Great and Powerful Grown Ups (as Aang had dubbed the old cranky people running the meetings, much to Zuko's amusement) had granted everyone the weekend to catch up on paper work, so they were all ready for the next week's meetings.

But, honestly, that was not working. And he couldn't be bothered _making _it work.

Aang continued to stare out the window as it rained.

He could hear it above him; drumming on the tin roof in a steady, comforting rhythm. A cool, gentle breeze drifted in through the open window, carrying the smell of rain with it.

The warm, comforting smell of rain. Aang breathed deeply through his nose, closing his eyes. It was always the days like these he loved the most. It was on _these _days that he had always snuck out of his room in the temple, and take Appa on an early morning fly. It was on _these _days that he would purposely find a tin roof to sit under, and meditate, listening to the drumming of the rain, feeling the tension roll off him. It was _these _days where he had always gotten off earthbending or firebending training, and he and Katara would always run off somewhere, and let loose with their waterbending. It was on _these _days that he could spend the _whole_ day with Katara, just goofing off, bending, and… just being with Katara. Without Sokka breathing down his neck.

Heck, it was _these _days where he _really _couldn't be bothered doing paperwork, not matter how important the meeting was.

Throwing down his quill with new energy, he pushed himself away from his desk, not bothering to pack away his papers – he'd regret that later, he knew, when they blew out the window or got rained on – and walked out of his study.

He wondered the corridor for a bit, taking turns and doors on a whim, several times accidently crashing into a door that didn't give way when he pushed it, but was walking too fast to be able to stop in time.

Apparently, there were locked doors around here. He'd investigate them later.

Rubbing his now-sore nose, half amused, half annoyed at himself, he wondered down a few more halls, carefully avoiding the Oh So Great and Powerful Grown Ups, he found himself at a staircase.

Grinning, he began to climb to them.

* * *

When she started searching for him, it didn't take her too long for to find him.

Naturally, as soon as it started to rain, she had bolted outside into it, ignoring all the weird looks she got. Most other people were running _inside, _taking shelter from the pelting water drops, but Katara ignored them, too.

So she had ran to the nearest gardens, but never in a straight line; serving and swirling and rolling and twisting, calling the water to her, making it dance with her.

It was fun; calming and peaceful, in a way. Just her, the soaked ground beneath her feet, and all the water around her.

Well, it was fun for a start, then it got kinda lonely. Aang used to always come out and goof off with her when it rained.

Which lead her to where she was now. Wondering around the Meeting Place Hall Thingy (I think it's pretty well accepted that teenagers feel the need to give ridicules names to things that annoy them), trying doors as they came, and turning down random corridors.

Then she came across a stairway, and rolled her eyes. Knowing that he'd be up there, as high as he could get, she started to climb.

He was out on the balcony, sitting on the railings, despite the fact that they were a fair few storeys high. He was staring out at the heavy rain, chin in his hands, legs crossed. A picture of relaxation – Katara would be chucking an absolute fit if she was sitting on the edge of a building, tens of metres above the ground.

Trying to move quietly, sneakily, she crept up behind him, even holding her breath as a precaution. When she was right behind him, and starting to feel dizzy from lack of oxygen, she poked him in the back. He jumped, craning his neck to see who it was.

All he saw was the end of a blue dress disappear behind one of the pillars, on either side of the door leading back inside. Aang raised an eyebrow. The pillars weren't very wide, and he could see wavy, long brown hair poking out from behind it.

"Uh… Katara?"

There was no response, but Katara's hair shook slightly, like she was laughing.

"Katara, I do know you're there. You're, um, not the best at hiding…"

Still no answer.

Aang stood, still balancing on the railings, and looked up. The edge of the roof of the balcony was decorated with stone and steel patterns jutting out everywhere. A plan forming in his mind, he bent his knees, and leaped.

He caught some of the poles and swung his legs up. He slipped slightly; not getting a strong enough grip on the wet, slippery poles. Once he was upside-down on the roof, like a spider monkey, he crawled silently over to the pillar that Katara was hiding behind, using air and earth to help him.

He reached the top of it just as Katara poked her head around, wondering where Aang went. He saw her frown as she took in the empty balcony, and she stepped out from behind the pillar, looking around.

Aang let go of the roof.

Katara squealed as Aang landed right behind her and scooped her into his arms. He grinned down at her, and she glared up at him. "Not funny,"

"Extremely funny,"

"You can't just go around almost falling on people!"

"Says the girl who poked me, then tried – _tried – _to hide behind a pillar,"

"Are you judging me hiding skills?"

"There is no need to judge. I think it's already established that they are terrible."

Katara sighed, then gave a one sided grin. "Touché. Why aren't you doing your paperwork?"

Aang hesitated. "I've done it all already,"

"Which would explain all the un-finished papers and documents on your desk."

Aang frowned. "Have you been snooping around my study?"

"Nope. Can you put me down?"

Aang tightened his hold on her, drawing her closer to his chest. "Uh… no. Maybe not. I like this." He carried her back to the edge of the balcony, burying his face into her hair, sighing. He sat at the edge, Katara on his lap, and hung his legs over the side.

The rain fell onto their legs, but it was not unwelcome. Katara enjoyed the feeling, looking out across the city. She could far from up here; could see past the town spare, the gardens, the outskirts of the city, with the misty rain floating over it all, the sun turning everything a golden liquid.

"Do you still want me to put you down?" Aang whispered in her ear.

Katara smiled softly to herself, and lent back further into him, tucking her head under his chin.

"No,"

* * *

**A/N: I don't even know how to describe things. Oh! Change of POVs there. Hope that that wasn't too confusing… **

**Ugh, sorry, that wasn't as fluffy as I'd like it to be. That first part, Aang sounded really, really cranky… (Gee, I wondered where that came from?!) It's shorter than the others, too… the first few averaged 2000 words; this is barely over 1000. Don't know when the next one'll be up, finding it hard to find time to write… But I WILL do it. XD **

**How many 'A's in Avatar, Kataang, Aang, and Katara? Gah, the poor 'A' button is being overused… **


End file.
